Racing needs the occasional fairy-tale story.
At home and overseas it’s an accepted fact that most races at the elite level are won by horses from major stables. Those stables traditionally have the best bloodstock to work with and often increase their chances by having multiple runners.
Trainer Wendy Roche and jockey James Innes Jnr provided a massive morale boost to battlers everywhere, when they combined to win the time honoured Doncaster with Nettoyer.
The ill tempered mare was up to her old tricks on the long trek to the mile starting point. James Innes Jnr had never been on her back before, but had been warned about her quirky antics. “I honestly thought I’d never get her to the gates,” said the jockey.
“She jacked up soon after going onto the track and reared a few times. I got her going and thought I was OK, when she suddenly propped again and started whipping around in circles. Then she decided to stop altogether and stare into the distance. I reckon she was there for two minutes, but moved off when the Clerk Of The Course joined us. For some reason she seemed happier when I took my feet out of the irons and “hacked” her to the gates.”
The 16.3 hands daughter of Sebring dawdled out of the gates as is her custom, and was a clear second last of the twenty runners on settling down. At the halfway mark she was barely travelling. James gave up any hope of a top three finish.
“At the 600m I could feel her starting to pick up and lengthen her stride,” said Innes. “When I got to the extreme outside she really started to hit top gear. I know this is hard to believe, but on top of the rise I was confident she was going to pick them up. I had a few anxious moments when she wanted to lay in, but I switched the whip from left to right and she straightened. I have never experienced the feel this mare gave me from the 200m. What a motor she’s got.”
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - James grits his teeth as he drives the big mare to the lead in the closing stages.
As James turned the big girl around to return to scale, the Sky cameras captured a few very touching moments. The young jockey was reduced to tears by the congratulatory shouts of rival jockeys and the sheer enormity of the occasion.
Early last week his manager Josh Barrett was struggling to convince trainer Wendy Roche that his jockey would be strong at the 51.5 kgs. Josh gave up when he didn’t hear back from Wendy and got a pleasant surprise at acceptances to see that James had been declared as the rider.
It’s been a tough battle for the 25 year old since coming out of his time eighteen months ago. The battle got even tougher recently when he was forced to choose one of three zones in which he could continue riding during the current crisis. He chose the metropolitan zone because his partner Aimee is close to giving birth to their second son. “Aimee is under medical supervision in the latter stages of this pregnancy,” said James. “I needed to be close to her and our one year old son Carter.”
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - James and Wendy Roche enjoying a very special moment at the Doncaster presentation.
“You never know what’s around the corner in this business,” he said. “Had I chosen a regional zone I wouldn’t have been on Nettoyer in the Doncaster.”
The couple haven’t yet settled on a name for their second son. “In view of the importance of the Doncaster win, I’ve already suggested Donny Nettoyer Innes as a likely name,” said James. “The look I got from Aimee tells me that won’t be happening.”
Aimee Taylor enjoyed a measure of success as a jockey in NZ. Apprenticed to Debbie Rogerson, she rode around 90 winners including one at Gr 2 level before quitting the saddle. She relocated to Sydney where she worked for Chris Waller at Rosehill and in his Gold Coast stables.
She later accepted an offer to join the stables of veteran trainer “Pud” Davies at Cessnock in the Hunter Valley, where she rode regular trackwork. It wasn’t long before the spark was reignited, prompting her to re-apply for her jockey’s licence. Aimee thoroughly enjoyed her brief return to race riding winning four races on Northern tracks, but had to call it quits when she fell pregnant with her first son Carter.
James Innes Jnr had a very diversified apprenticeship. He kicked off with Craig Carmody before going to Brett Thompson at Gulgong on loan. His career came to an abrupt halt when he had a monumental “buster” from a horse called Armidales Pride at a Bathurst meeting in late 2012. His injury list was imposing - broken femur, broken tibia and a broken hand. He was on the sidelines for a full year.
On his return he spent a short time with his old boss Craig Carmody who sent him on loan to Mick Kent at Cranbourne. “The Bathurst fall had more effect on me than I ever expected,” said James. “I was really struggling to regain my confidence. Homesickness had also set in and I made the decision to go home.”
Canberra trainer Keith Dryden had been watching Jamie Innes for quite some time. The young jockey was very flattered when the experienced Dryden rang to offer him a job. “Mr. Dryden made me a very good offer which included good accommodation and the pick of the stable rides,” he said. “The thing to put me off was the prospect of a Canberra winter. Mr. Dryden kept the pressure on me and I finally relented - one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made.”
“The Dryden horses were on a roll at the time. Together we had a fabulous trot with winners everywhere.” As the months went by my confidence grew and I was back where I needed to be.”
James was taken aback to receive a surprise offer to join the Darley Empire (now Godolphin) under its new trainer John O’Shea. He was flattered and quite excited, but reluctant to leave the man who had restored his career. He told Keith Dryden of the offer but assured him that he was happy to stay in Canberra. “You’ll do nothing of the sort,” boomed Keith. “Any other kid would kill for a chance like this. You’ve got to take the job.”
James decided to stay with Keith for the last couple of months of the season - John O’Shea was happy for him to start in the new season. James had a reason to delay his departure from Canberra. He still needed 15 winners to outride his country claim. He rode those winners by season’s end and felt well satisfied when he and Keith shook hands and parted company.
His twelve months with Darley was a great learning curve and fairly productive from a riding perspective He won 15 races and left Canberra with his 2kg city claim still intact.
During one major Sydney carnival when his rides would have been very few, James followed John O’Shea’s advice to spend a few weeks with the respected trainer Peter Nestor at Dubbo. “It was a great experience to work with one of the best horsemen I’ve ever known,” recalled James. “I learned something valuable every day and got to ride a few winners in the Central West.”
Back to the Darley Empire. “My time in the bush probably spoiled me a little and I had trouble settling back into the hustle and bustle of an operation like Darley,” said James. “My opportunities were few so I decided to move on.”
Then came a void in the young jockey’s career. “I felt depressed, lacked any real motivation and got very sour on racing for a while,” said James. “I decided to have one more throw of the dice when Gerald Ryan agreed to take me on for the remainder of my apprenticeship.”
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - James was thrilled to be given the opportunity to ride the brilliant Standout for Gerald Ryan on the occasion of the colt’s first race start 04/09/2019.
And so began a partnership which has led to more than fifty winners and a great understanding between jockey and trainer. “Like Peter Nestor he’s a natural horseman,” said the jockey. “A top trainer and an excellent judge. I owe Gerald a debt of gratitude. He picked me up when I needed it most, and has given me wonderful support.”
His Doncaster ride on Nettoyer was his fourth in Group 1 races. Two of them were for Gai Waterhouse, the other for Bjorn Baker - all unplaced but a thrill for the young jockey to be riding in major races.
He has special memories of a few important wins and one unique experience for the Waller stable. He was chuffed to win the Listed W.J.McKell Cup for Gai on Hushwriter. He finished second on the same horse a few months later in the Wyong Cup.
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - James wins the 2019 McKell Cup on Hush Writer for the Waterhouse/Bott stable.
He rode Danawi for Tim Martin in two Gr 3 races, for a second in the Up And Coming and a win in the Ming Dynasty Quality.
James was thrilled beyond words when Gerald and owner George Altomonte gave him an opportunity on the hugely talented Standout in a BM64 on the Kenso track - it was a win he won’t forget in a hurry.
He also had one ride for one win on the brilliant but unsound Menari. It was actually Menari’s first race start at Randwick.
Gerald and James combined to win two city races with Girl Sunday and a metropolitan hat trick with Deploy.
James loves to tell the story of a unique double at two different tracks in March 2017. He had one ride only at Rosehill and that was Hogmanay for the Waller stable in the last race. His manager got a phone call from the stable requesting his services for a mare in the first race at Newcastle.
Foreman Charlie Duckworth was adamant the mare was a “sit and steer” job and insisted Innes make the trip to Newcastle. The mare in question was Egg Tart who went on to win a Queensland Oaks and $1.3 million. Egg Tart won easily and James headed straight for Rosehill where he completed a unique double on Hogmanay.
Jamie’s parents James Innes Snr and his wife Julie were still on cloud nine when I called them on Monday morning. When the field jumped in the Doncaster James was glued to the Sky Racing service in the lounge room, while Julie was watching another programme in another room. She simply couldn’t make herself watch until the closing stages of the race.
When James Snr screamed that Nettoyer was looking dangerous, Julie dashed into the room to see the mare put her head in front in the last few strides. “We went absolutely berserk,” said James. “The tears flowed and we didn’t make much sense in the first few minutes after the race.”
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - Jamie's father James Snr, was a successful jockey in Sydney for 29 years.
I enjoyed a long chat with James Innes Snr who quit the saddle eight years ago, after twenty nine years as a professional jockey. “I was 46 and the opportunities were drying up,” he said. “I was thinking it would be nice to go out with a winner and my old mate Phil Pengelly (father of Brad) made it happen.”
“Phil rang offering to fly me to Rockhampton for four rides, all of which he thought would run well,” said James. “Thankfully one of them did win, giving me my last trip to the winner’s circle. The horse was called Phil Doesn’t Care and I’ll never forget him.”
James had many rides in Group 1 races over his long career, but success eluded him. He finished second on Aunty Mary in the 1995 Doncaster and third on Juggler in the Epsom of the same year. Aunty Mary gave him a Villiers win in 1994.
He learned the trade under the tutelage of Theo Green, before switching to Roy Horton in the latter part of his apprenticeship. Natural talent and an affable personality endeared him to a wide range of owners and trainers for the duration of his long riding career.
He’s still working in the racing industry as the driver of the Waterhouse/Bott transport truck. “I take horses to the races and the barrier trials every week and thoroughly enjoy the experience,” said James. “It keeps me in touch with a lot of old friends.”
James enjoys nothing more than getting to Randwick trackwork early morning to crack a few jokes with the regulars. “Here comes the sire of a Gr 1 winner,” was the quip from Anthony Cummings when James arrived on Monday morning.
Image courtesy Steve Hart Photographics - James Innes Snr wins the Matron Stakes at Flemington on Aunty Mary 1995.
Nettoyer and Wendy Roche dominated the weekend news bulletins. Wendy demonstrated how the quirky mare loves to eat pizza and drink beer or champagne. Unorthodox maybe, but part of the reason this lady has been able to win the Doncaster Mile with her $20,000 mare.
You’ll be waiting a while to see Chris Waller standing at a stable door with a Margherita Pizza and a can of beer.
(Banner Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - Nettoyer wide out in orange sleeves and cap storms home to win the Doncaster.)